Daggers drawn as Trump, Cruz wage delegate warfare

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump is bent on securing the Republican presidential nomination before the party’s convention in July, but well-organized rival Ted Cruz has been cleverly out-maneuvering him in the all-important delegate battle. Trump so far has won the most state contests, providing him a comfortable lead in delegates—representatives who ultimately will choose the Republican flag-bearer at the party’s nominating convention in Cleveland. But Cruz, an ultra-conservative senator from Texas, has been on a poaching mission, reportedly winning over enough Trump delegates to prevent the billionaire property tycoon from prevailing at the July confab if he does not secure the 1,237 delegates needed to win outright. Trump so far has won 758 pledged delegates, compared to Cruz’s 538 and Ohio Governor John Kasich’s 145, according to a CNN tally, but his pathway to outright victory is narrowing. He lost badly to Cruz in Wisconsin earlier this month, and now needs 61 percent of remaining delegates to reach 1,237. The billionaire businessman is likely to bounce back Tuesday when his home state of New York votes, potentially snatching all 95 delegates.